Naturalistic inquiry

Cross Sources:  Qualitative research Definition:  Qualitative researchers study things in their natural settings, attempting to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meanings people bring to them. Reference:  Denzin, N.K., & Lincoln, Y.S. (1998); Patton, M.Q. (1987).

Neural network

Cross Sources:  Kohonen self-organizing maps Definition:  A computer driven statistical model that can learn to recognize patterns in data Reference:  Anderson, J.A. (1997).

Nonparametric statistic

Cross Sources:  Parametric statistic Definition:  A family of statistics that are based on the nominal categorization rank ordering of data points. These statistics do not require the sample to meet any distributional assumptions. Reference:  Siegel, S., & Castellan, J.N., Jr. (1988).

Norm referenced

Cross Sources:  Criterion referenced Definition:  An interpretation of scores on a measure that focuses on the rank ordering of students not their performance in relation to criteria Reference:

Novice

Cross Sources:  Expert, Judges Definition:  A person who has not had the education or training necessary to be considered an expert Reference:

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For any comments regarding new terms or suggested definitions for this Dictionary, please write to :   assessment@jmu.edu. Thank you.